Course Syllabus: Twenty Women Who Changed American History

Course Description

When the first European settlers arrived to stake their claim in America, they brought with them their philosophies, their religious beliefs, and their women. And over the course of nearly four centuries, many strong, even fearless women have risked their lives to change what they saw as injustices, not only for themselves but for all people who faced the wrongs inflicted upon them by an imperfect society.

This course looks at the lives of women such as Anne Hutchinson, who resisted the efforts of a male society to control what she could say, and Abigail Adams, who resisted the entrenched societal belief that women's lives were of less importance than men's. It examines the work of women such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth who, despite being born into slavery, not only managed to escape their captors but risked their lives to help others escape their fate.

We'll look at the fight for women's suffrage through the life of women such as Susan B. Anthony, who fought to secure women's right to vote, and the fight for American workers to have a voice in their work through the eyes of "Mother" Jones, once called the most dangerous woman in America.

Not to be forgotten in the creation of America are modern feminists like Gloria Steinem, who worked tirelessly to raise the status of women to a level at least equal to that of men, and Ada Deer and Dolores Huerta, who saw the living conditions of marginalized people as simply unacceptable. In all, the twenty women covered by this course were able to identify a wrong and dedicate their lives to making it right, and in doing so they paved the way for all women to follow them to freedom.

Course Requirements

This course will not require you to have previous experience in any particular area but you should have a high school reading level. No books will be required.

Course Topics

Lesson 1: America Before These Women

Lesson 2 : Anne Hutchinson: The Roots of Religious Freedom

Lesson 3 : Abigail Adams: 'We Are Determined to Foment a Rebellion'

Lesson 4 : Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth: From the Underground Railroad to the White House